Veratramine

The hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway, which is blocked by cyclopamine (Item No. 11321), plays a key role in morphogenesis and has potential applications in the treatment of cancer.{20489,20491,18038} Veratramine, a teratogenic steroidal alkaloid isolated from the corn lily (Veratrum sp.), is an analog of cyclopamine that can inhibit the Hh signaling-dependent proliferation of NIH/3T3 cells at 8 ?M.{21777} Additionally, veratramine has anti-thrombotic activity as it dose dependently inhibits platelet aggregation in rabbits ex vivo. While it may be most useful as a signal transduction inhibitor for treating tumors, veratramine also induces serotonin release and inhibits its re-uptake in the CNS.{21779,21778}